Leviticus 8:18

And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) And he brought the ram.—After their sins had been expiated by the sin offering, Moses offered for the consecrated priests one of the two rams which he was ordered to take (see Leviticus 8:2) as a burnt offering. With the exception of performing the sacerdotal rites himself, the ritual here described is in accordance with rules laid down in Leviticus 1:3-9.

Benson Commentary

Leviticus 8:18. He brought the ram — Hereby they gave God the glory of this great honour which was put upon them, and returned him praise for it; and also signified the devoting themselves and all their services to the honour of God. Thus Paul thanked Jesus Christ for putting him into the ministry, and devoted himself and all he had to his service.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:14-36 In these types we see our great High Priest, even Christ Jesus, solemnly appointed, anointed, and invested with his sacred office, by his own blood, and the influences of his Holy Spirit. He sanctifies the ordinances of religion, to the benefit of his people and the honour of God the Father; who for his sake accepts our worship, though it is polluted with sin. We may also rejoice, that he is a merciful and faithful High Priest, full of compassion to the feeble-minded and tempest-tossed soul. All true Christians are consecrated to be spiritual priests. We should seriously ask ourselves, whether in our daily walk we study to maintain this character? and abound in spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Christ? If so, still there is no cause for boasting. Let us not despise our fellow-sinners; but remembering what we have done, and how we are saved, let us seek and pray for their salvation.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Atonement having been made, Aaron and his sons were now permitted, by the laying on of their hands, to make themselves one with the victim, which was to be sent up to Yahweh as "a burnt sacrifice for a sweet savour, an offering made by fire unto the Lord." All was done strictly according to the ritual Leviticus 1:3-9, except that Moses performed the duties of the priest.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18-21. brought the ram, &c.—as a token of their entire dedication to the service of God.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

No text from Poole on this verse.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And he brought the ram for the burnt offering,.... One of the two he was ordered to take, Leviticus 8:2.

and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram; as they had done before on the head of the bullock, see Leviticus 8:14 their right hands, as the Targum of Jonathan, and that at the same time; not first Aaron and then his sons, as a famous grammarian, Aben Ezra makes mention of, thought; but, as he himself says, they laid them on together.

Geneva Study Bible

And he brought the ram for the burnt offering: and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

(ii) The Burnt-Offering (18–21)

The Burnt-Offering indicating complete surrender on the part of Aaron and his sons follows the sacrifice of atonement and purification. The ram is offered here by Moses, by Aaron for himself (Leviticus 9:2; Leviticus 9:12-13, Leviticus 16:3), for the people (Leviticus 16:5), for the princes of the tribes at the dedication of the altar (Numbers 7:15 etc. where the ram is one of three animals constituting the Burnt-Offering) and on the occasions enumerated in Numbers 28:29. Balak’s offering prescribed by Balaam consisted of seven bullocks and seven rams (Numbers 23:1-2; Numbers 23:14; Numbers 23:29-30).

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 18-21. - There is no deviation on the present occasion from the ritual appointed for the burnt offering. After the sin offering, righteousness is symbolically imputed to Aaron; after the burnt offering, holiness; then follows the peace offering of the ram, which completes and sacrificially effects the consecration. Leviticus 8:18

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The sin-offering, through which the priests and the altar had been expiated, and every disturbance of the fellowship existing between the holy God and His servants at the altar, in consequence of the sin of those who were to be consecrated, had been taken away, was followed by a burnt-offering, consisting of a ram, which was offered according to the ordinary ritual of the burnt-offering (Leviticus 1:3-9), and served to set forth the priests, who had appointed it as their substitute through the laying on of hands, as a living, holy, and well-pleasing sacrifice to the Lord, and to sanctify them to the Lord with all the faculties of both body and soul.